“Father, you look like a mermaid, with your green hands,” said his wife, laughing, as she handed him the spirits of turpentine. “A woman could paint that boat, in a light dress, and not get a spot on her.”
He smiled good-naturedly: he never spoke much.
“I guess Louise won’t have much trade to-day,” said his wife, as they all sat down; “it’s so hot in the sun that everybody’ll wait till night. But she has her tatting-work to do, and she’s got a book, too, that she wanted to finish.”
Her husband nodded, and ate away.
“Oh, can’t we go up street and see her, this afternoon?” said one of the children.
“Who can that be?” said the mother, as an elderly, half-official-looking man stopped his horse at the front gate and alighted. The man left the horse unchecked to browse by the road-side, and came to the door.
“Oh, it’s you, Captain Nourse,” said Wood, rising to open the netting door, and holding out his hand. “Come to summons me as a witness in something about the bank case, I suppose. Let me introduce Captain Nourse, Mary,” he said, “deputy sheriff. Sit down, Captain, and have some dinner with us.”
“No, I guess I won’t set,” said the captain. “I cal’lated not to eat till I got home, in the middle o’ the arternoon. No, I’ll set down in eye-shot of the mare, and read the paper while you eat.”
“I hope they don’t want me to testify anywhere to-day,” said Wood; “because my boat’s half verdigris’d, and I want to finish her this afternoon.”
“No testimony to-day,” said the captain. “Hi! hi! Kitty!” he called to the mare, as she began to meander across the road; and he went out to a tree by the front fence, and sat down on a green bench, beside a work-basket and a half-finished child’s dress, and read the country paper which he had taken from the office as he came along.